The group art show at the PII Gallery features three Philadelphia-based artists: Asya Livshits, Aissulu Kadyrzhanova and Elena Drozdova. All three women were born in the Soviet Union, the country that ceased to exist in 1991. Following their unique life paths they found their way to the City of Brotherly Love. Asya Livshits was born in Kharkov, Ukraine, and moved to Philadelphia from Tbilisi, Georgia; Elena Drozdova moved from Moscow, Russia; and Aissulu Kadyrzhanova moved from Almaty, Kazakhstan via Moscow, Russia. All three artists call Philadelphia their home.

The show is rooted in the ideas of what it is like to be a transplant female artist. Each artist expresses their narrative in a different visual manner.

Three artists are united by the desire to be understood in their new land, as artists and women. The “foreign-female-artist” trifecta may sometimes feel like excess baggage, while fundamentally it is an enriching and distinct quality that is worth cultivating and appreciating.

“Excess Baggage” show is curated by RSPN Board Member Maria V. Kraybill, maria@theartillerie.com